Before the Covid-19 pandemic, those who were familiar with the field of public health were relatively few and far between. Nowadays, however, public health is taking its turn in the spotlight, and its impact is hard to ignore. As a result, many students are shifting their career trajectories to adopt a public health focus. As a broad and quickly growing field, it is easier than ever to join the ranks of public health professionals. Beth Seltzer’s 101 Careers in Public Health is a guide to many of these options. Organized into three sections, the book provides an overview of anything and everything a budding public health professional would want to know about the exciting sector.
Part one walks the reader through the definition, history, and various ways to get involved with public health. Seltzer notes that due to the field’s wide scope, the definition is malleable, but generally, public health jobs follow three core functions of assessment, policy development, and assurance. Its preventative focus expands to chronic diseases and cancer, conditions such as obesity and mental health issues, racial and ethnic disparities, healthcare access barriers, drug and alcohol abuse, seatbelt and driving laws, and much more. Public health professionals can therefore work in monitoring, research, health promotion, policy, direct service, or virtually any other role. Though the more traditional pathway consists of pursuing a Masters in Public Health, a large number of public health professionals stumbled into the filed through other paths such as volunteering, working for local organizations, or interning. Seltzer herself, for example, came across public health during medical school after becoming frustrated with the ongoing prevalence of preventable diseases. This section is meant to inform the reader that there is no singular path one must take to get involved with public health, and that it is never too late.
The bulk of the book is part two, in which Seltzer sorts the titular 101 public health careers into 19 different categories that include infectious disease, public safety, maternal and child health, environmental health and water safety, food safety and nutrition, health communication, mental health, and more. Each chapter features a sample of jobs within the highlighted category and provides a job description, educational requirements, core competencies and skills, compensation, workplaces, employment outlooks, and resources for further information. Select careers also feature interviews with professionals who are currently practicing them. If you are considering a career in public health or want to learn more, drop by 1203 MVR to read about these options in greater depth and receive advice about starting your public health journey.
In part three, Seltzer addresses general prospects for pursuing a career in public health. She notes that there are reported shortages in many parts of the workforce and that there are promising prospects for increased federal funding of public health efforts. This makes public health an exciting field to be entering at any time, but since the publication of 101 Careers in Public Health in 2011, the possibilities have only grown. An unfortunate reality is that public health issues such as climate change, pandemics, and other health stressors are not going away. Therefore, the demand for public health professionals will continue to rise. If you are passionate about promoting health and protecting people through the pursuit of social justice, research, policy, healthcare, pandemic response, leadership, or another avenue, consider whether a public health career may be right for you!
